Process of refining raw cane-sugar.



, other impurities.

. crystals.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ HUB-KB, 013 FORT COLLINS, COLORADO.

PROCESS OF BEFIN'ING RAW CANE-SUGAR.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ MURKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort Collins, in the county of Larimer and State ofColorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes ofRefining Raw Cane-Sugar, of which' the following is a specification. 4

My invention relates to the refin ng of sugar, and particularly to therefining of raw cane sugar.

It is well known that raw cane sugar consists of sugar crystals whichare surrounded by molasses, a syrup containing considerable amounts ofglucose or invert sugar, besides In the treatment of the raw sugar bythe hot lime process, the sugar is boiled with sufficient lime toeliminate the glucose, but while the glucose is destroyed as such, thereare lime salts formed which are molasses forming.

The syrup surrounding the sugar crystals and containing nated by washingwith wash syrups, or water, or steam, until the sugar is free fromglucose, but the washed sugar crystals thus obtained contain coloringmaterials which penetrate the su ar crystals and can not be washed away.nasmuch as the thoroughly washed cane sugar can not be made whiter bfurther washing, I proceed to destroy or ciiange the coloring materialsby boiling the .solution of the well washed raw cane sugar with lime tosuch a degree that, after precipitating the lime by carbonic acidandsulfurous acid, or sulfurous acid alone, with the necessary filtrations,the resulting fillmass turns out a perfectly white sugar.

A decided chemical reaction may be observed during the process ofboiling the washed raw cane sugar solution with lime,

as and foam being formed. This reaction fiIStS about three to fiveminutes until the ehan 'ng or conversion of the coloring materia iscompleted and the juice comes to a uiet and clear boiling, like ordinarysolutions of refined sugar will show in boilin My process, as aboveoutlined, is preferab y carried out as follows ::High grade raw canesugar is mixed with molasses to amagma, which is then spun incentrifugal machines and the sugar Washed with water or other suitableagent in order to remove the glucose and other impurities surroundingthe sugar By the term other suitable agent it is understood that thewashing Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 20. 1914. Serial No. 846,403.

the glucose may be elimin Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

medium may be wash syrup, water, steam, or any other of the well knownagents or that the separation of the sugar crystals and surroundingsyrup can be effected by the application of heated and compressed air orsuperheated steam with little or no wash syrup resulting from their use.The well washed or cleaned su ar is then melted in water and sweet watermm the carbonation and sulfitation filter ress stations to thick juiceconsistency. ihis solution is pumped throu h filters or directly tovertical, cylindrical open tanks provided with heating coils andstirrers. Lime is then added, preferably in the form of milk of lime, inthe proportion of one-half per cent. or less to two per cent. of thesugar present. The temperature is raised to boiling and the boilingcontinued until the gas and foam formation ceases and the liquor comesto a quiet and clear boiling. These tanks are may be varied withoutdeparting from my invention. Part of the molasses which results from themixing and washing process is used for mixing the next raw sugar, and

art leaves the process as rest molasses),

he molasses which results from the process after the lime treatment andcrystallization which contains little or no trace of lucose is also usedfor mixing the high a e raw cane sugar and serves by its app ication toreduce the glucose content ofthe resulting ma ma to the lowest possibledegree.

he wash syrup is made neutral with lime, I

if it is not so already, and is either boiled by itself to high graderaw sugar which is treated as above, or such low grade raw cane sugarwhich does not stand much washing on account of its soft grain is meltedin the wash syrup and water, made neutral if not so already, and boiledto high grade raw cane sugar which is treated as above.

From the above it will be understood that my process results in aconsiderable economy of time and materials, doing away with the boneblack filtration and furnishes a product comparatively pure and freefrom certain salts and other impurities which are resent in the productsof other processes. lhe removal of the glucose and other solubleimpurities by washing before the lime treatment prevents the formationof undesirable salts which would result from the action of the lime onthe glucose, etc.; and by following the washing by lime treatment andother refining steps the coloring matter and other impurities whichremain are eliminated.

The process permits the manufacture of beet sugar to be combined withthe refining of raw cane sugar, using the machinery of the beet sugarhouses.

It will also be understood that various modifications of my process asabove de scribed may be made without departing from the invention. Forinstance, various materials and reagents may be employed as equivalentsor substitutes for those mentioned, and all such I regard as fallingwithin the scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process comprisesremovingwithout chemical change impurities of the syrup surrounding thesugar crystals, and treating at substantially boiling temperature asolution oithe-resulting crystals with a reagent acting to change theimpurities originally included in the sugar or stals to material whichwill be excluded from the crystals upon recrystallization.

2. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process comprisesremoving without chemical change impurities of the syrup surrounding thesugar crystals, and treating at substantially boiling temperature asolution of the resulting crystals with lime or its equivalent to changethe impurities originally included in the sugar crystals to a materialwhich will be excluded from the crystals upon recrystallization.

3. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process comprisesremoving without chemical change impurities of the syrup surrounding thesugar crystals, treating at substantiall boiling temperature a solutionof the resu ting crystals with lime or its equivalent to change thecharacter of the impurities ori 'nally included in the sugar crystals,an recrystallizing the sugar from the solution to the exclusion of thechanged impurities from the crystals.

4. The process of refining raw sugar, which rocess comprisesmechanically removing mm the sugar impurities of the syrup surroundingthe sugar crystals, and treating at substantially boiling temperature asolution of the resulting crystals with lime or its equivalent.

5. The process of refining raw sugar, which process comprises wa'shinthe sugar to remove glucose and other impurities of the syrupsurrounding the sugar crystals, making a solution of the washedcrystals, and acting upon the coloring impurities of said solution bytreating said solution at substantially oiling temperature with lime orits eqpivalent.

6. he process of refining raw sugar, which process comprises washing thesugar to re-- move impurities of the syrup surrounding the sugarcrystals, and then treating at sub-- stantially a boiling temperature asolution of the washed crystals with lime or its equivalent.

7 The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process compriseswashing the sugar to remove glucose and other impurities of the syrupsurrounding the sugar crystals, making a solution of the washedcrystals, and treating said solution at substantially the boilingtemperature with lime or its equivalent.

8, The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process compriseswashingthe sugar to remove glucose and other impurities of the syrupsurrounding the an ar crystals, making a solution of the wasfiedcrystals, and boiling said solution with lime or its equivalent untilthe gas and foam formation ceases, and the solution comes to a quiet andclear boil.

9. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process compriseswashing the sugar to remove glucose and other impurities of the syrupsurrounding the su ar crystals, making a solution of the we treatingsaid solution at substantial boiling temperature with lime or itsequivalent, precipitating the lime, and further purifying or refiningthe sugar.

10. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process compriseswashing the sugar to remove glucose and other im urities surrounding thesugar crystals, me ting the washed crystals in water and sweet waterfrom carbonation and sulfitation filter press stations to thick juiceconsistency, and treatin this solution at boiling temperature wit 1 limeor its e uivalent.

11. The process of re ing raw cane sugar, which process compriseswashing the y the ed 0 stals,

sugar to remove glucose and other impuri- 12. The process of refiningraw cane sugar, which process comprises washing the sugar to removeglucose and other impurities surrounding the sugar crystals, boiling asolution of the washed crystals at thick juice consistency with a smallamount of lime, and submitting said solution subsequently to ordinarrefining processes as used in beet sugar actories, such as saturationwith carbonic acid and sulfurous acid gas or sulfurous acid gas alonewith the necessary filtrations and other ordinary beet sugar houserefining processes.

13. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process comprisesremoving the glucose and other impurities of the syrup surrounding thesugar crystals by washin with wash 5 rup, making a solution of thetieaned crysta s, and treating said solution at substantially theboilingtemperature with lime or its equivalent.

14. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process compriseswashing the sugar with steam to remove glucose and other impurities ofthe syrup surroundin the sugar crystals, making a solution 0 the cleanedcrystals, and treating said solution at substantially the boilingtemperature with lime or its equivalent.

15. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process comprisesremoving the glucose and other impurities of the syrup surrounding thesugar crystals by blowing out with superheated steam to efi'ect amechanical separation of the sugar crystals and surrounding syrup,making a solution of the cleaned crystals, and treating said solution atsubstantially the boiling temperature with lime or its equivalent.

16. The process of refining raw cane sugar, which process comprisesremoving the glucose and other impurities of the syrup surrounding thesugar crystals by blowing out with heated compressed air, making asolution of the cleaned crystals, and treating said solution atsubstantially the boiling temperature with lime oi its equivalent.

n testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANZ MURKE.

Witnesses:

A. L. ROBLING, O. A. HILLER.

It is hereby certified that 'in Letters Patent No. 1,132,868, grantedMarch 23, 1915, upon the application of Franz Murke, of Fort Collins,Colorado, for an improvement in Processes of Refining Raw (Jane-Sugar,an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction asfollows: Page.], line 80, the matter beginning with the word From toandincluding the word invention, same page, line 93, should form a separateparagraph; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 27th day of April, A. D., 1915.

J. T NEWTON,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[em L.

